Social Emotional Learning

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Session 5

Participant Guide
 Outline
Learning objectives:
 To understand the concepts of problem solving and decision making

 To understand the relationship between decision making and problem solving

 To develop skills for solving a problem and making decisions

This document contains unpublished, confidential and proprietary information of the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University
(DSEU), Govt. of NCT of Delhi. No disclosure, duplication or use of any portion of the contents of these materials for any purpose
may be made without the prior express written consent.
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Problem Solving is finding the answer to a question. It is an analytical method to identify the possible
solutions to a situation. The main goal is to find the best solution. Problem-solving involves identifying an
issue, finding causes, asking questions and brainstorming solutions. Gathering facts help make the
solution more obvious.

Decision Making is choosing one alternative from among others. It is the process of choosing a solution
based on your judgment, situation, facts, knowledge or a combination of available data. The goal is to
avoid potential difficulties. Identifying opportunities is an important part of the decision-making process.
Making decisions is often a part of problem-solving.

 Define the problem: To solve a problem, you must first determine what the problem actually is.
You may think you know, but you need to check it out. Sometimes, it is easy to focus on
symptoms, not causes. The questions you might ask include:
o What have I (or others) observed?
o What was I (or others) doing at the time the problem occurred?
o Is this a problem in itself or a symptom of a deeper, underlying problem?
o What information do I need?
o What have we already tried to address this problem?

 Create alternate solutions: It is important to identify possible alternatives; this is where the
creative side of problem solving really comes in.
o Brainstorming with a group can be an excellent tool for identifying potential alternatives.
Think of as many possibilities as possible.
o Rapid ideation is a commonly used brainstorming technique in which everyone involved
with an issue writes down as many potential solutions as they can think of in a short
amount of time. After everyone writes down their ideas, you can review them as a team.
o Mind mapping is creating illustrations of ideas in hierarchical layouts. Mind maps can
show the relationships between different aspects of an issue, making this technique fitting
for problem-solving and decision-making.
o You can use a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats related to an issue. Understanding these important components can help you to
come up with potential solutions.
This document contains unpublished, confidential and proprietary information of the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University
(DSEU), Govt. of NCT of Delhi. No disclosure, duplication or use of any portion of the contents of these materials for any purpose
may be made without the prior express written consent.
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 o Flow charts can be useful for illustrating processes and workflows, so they can be helpful
in planning a process to respond to an issue. Creating a flow chart can help you to
organize your ideas and design step-by-step solutions to problems.

Too often, people move too quickly into making a choice without really considering all of the
options. Spending more time searching for alternatives and weighing their consequences can
really pay off.

 Evaluate alternatives and select one: Once a number of ideas have been generated, you need
to assess each of them to see how effective they might be in addressing the problem. Consider
the following factors:
o Impact on the organization
o Effect on public relations
o Impact on employees and organizational climate
o Cost
o Legality
o Ethics of actions
o Whether this course is permitted under collective agreements
o Whether this idea can be used to build on another idea

Make a choice. Once you have evaluated your different approaches, it’s time to make your
decision. You can choose from different decision-making structures, which include:

o Collaborative decision-making: This decision-making structure includes input from a

variety of opinions.
o Command decision-making: In this structure, you make a decision without getting
feedback from other people, which can be the fastest way to make a decision.
o Vote decision-making: This decision-making structure lets you get input from a large
number of people in a short amount of time. It allows people to vote on a decision from a
set of options.
o Consensus-based decision-making: In this structure, everyone involved attempts to
agree on a decision. This process can be lengthy, so it's ideal if a decision is not time-
sensitive and if you want to make sure your decision has complete support.

Some individuals and groups avoid making decisions. Not making a decision is in itself a
decision. By postponing a decision, you may eliminate a number of options and alternatives. You
lose control over the situation. In some cases, a problem can escalate if it is not dealt with
promptly.

After making your decision, ensure it fully addresses the issue and does not create a new one.
Make sure the decision is something that your company can realistically implement and it aligns
with the mission, vision and values of your company.

 Implement and follow-up on the solution: Once you have made a decision, it must be
implemented. With major decisions, this may involve detailed planning to ensure that all parts of
the operation are informed of their part in the change.

Whenever you have implemented a decision, you need to evaluate the results. The outcomes
may give valuable advice about the decision-making process, the appropriateness of the choice,
and the implementation process itself. This information will be useful in improving the company’s
response the next time a similar decision has to be made.

This document contains unpublished, confidential and proprietary information of the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University
(DSEU), Govt. of NCT of Delhi. No disclosure, duplication or use of any portion of the contents of these materials for any purpose
may be made without the prior express written consent.
4
End of session reflection

Three things that I learnt today.

One question I have on my mind now.
What am I becoming aware of about myself? What shifts in my behavior have I noticed? What
about my behavior and attitude will I start-stop-continue to do going forward?

This document contains unpublished, confidential and proprietary information of the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University
(DSEU), Govt. of NCT of Delhi. No disclosure, duplication or use of any portion of the contents of these materials for any purpose
may be made without the prior express written consent.
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This document contains unpublished, confidential and proprietary information of the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University
(DSEU), Govt. of NCT of Delhi. No disclosure, duplication or use of any portion of the contents of these materials for any purpose
may be made without the prior express written consent.
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